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The Cowboys are the only team to have a healthy, Pro Bowl quarterback as their backup to a man who has never played in an NFL playoff game.

Star-Telegram Cowboys writers Clarence Hill and Charean Williams say this is the Cowboys best chance in years to capture a sixth Super Bowl trophy in team history.

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To heck with Dak Prescott’s psyche — the only component of the future that matters is winning this game. Worry about the rest later. He’s an adult. Much like Romo, Dak will get over it. Or he won’t — that’s a problem for Monday morning.

On Monday, Dak tweeted a picture of himself with the caption, “ALL IN #readyready.” That’s great, but it doesn’t translate into points.

This is the fifth time the Cowboys have a chance to reach an NFC title game since Barry Switzer “led” them to their last Super Bowl win in January of 1996. Since that Super Bowl title, the Cowboys are 0-4 in the divisional round.

During the Packers’ seven-game winning streak, quarterback Aaron Rodgers has completed 69.6 percent of his passes for 2,029 yards with 19 touchdowns and no interceptions.

Dak and the Cowboys could well play a good, clean game Sunday and simply get beat.

This is what happens in the playoffs — a good team plays another good team and the good team wins.

What we saw in the wild-card weekend, where the average margin of victory was 19 points for the four home teams, will not be repeated in the next round. The favorites might win, but other than New England mauling Houston, every game will be close.

In the NFL playoffs, the teams with the best quarterbacks win. The best quarterbacks in the playoffs are the guys who can make throws in the tightest of spaces, and create plays when there are none to make.

In this case, Dak can’t blink. He’s not only going to have to not make mistakes, but vertical plays, too.

The Cowboys were the best team in the NFC during the regular season because of Dak, and the idea of not starting him on Sunday is ludicrous, insulting and unrealistic. With that comes the right to weather a bad quarter, or a half.

Beyond that, however, the score should dictate whether Garrett makes a call to the ’pen. Garrett has a $20 million weapon at his disposal that no other coach in these playoffs does.

While everyone with a brain should doubt that Romo’s health would allow him to last an entire regular season, we are now talking about a limited amount of time. Romo can make it a half.

In his first NFL season, Dak Prescott threw for 3,667 yards, completed 67.8 percent of his passes with 23 touchdowns and four interceptions.

Do not put it past Garrett to make this switch, either. He has done this before in a similar situation, albeit at vastly different positions.

JG was coach Wade Phillips’ offensive coordinator in 2007, when running back Julius Jones was the starter throughout the regular season. Marion Barber was the closer off the bench. Shortly before the Cowboys hosted the New York Giants in the divisional round game, Garrett and crew decided to make Barber the starter for the first time that season.

Dak has proven he can do what no rookie has ever done in the NFL, so maybe he will handle the postseason as well as he did the regular variety. Much like the regular season, in the playoffs there just might not be a need for Tony Romo.

But Garrett should not hesitate to break-glass-in-case-of-emergency and put in his veteran Pro Bowl passer.

As for what that emergency is? Well...we’ll know it when we see it.

Dak Prescott smirked at the notion of taking a trip during the bye week like some Cowboys did in 2007. Video by Clarence E. Hill Jr.

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Listen to Mac Engel every Tuesday and Thursday on Shan & RJ from 5:30-10 a.m. on 105.3 The Fan.